The members at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church understand that more than most.

The church recently purchased the old Carver Elementary School from Wake County with plans to turn the school into a community center.

Pastor Asa Bell says the idea came from within the church, but he says it took some convincing to get all the church members on board with the idea.

Once that happened, though, things moved quickly.

The church completed the purchase last fall and won a permit from the town of Wendell to use the facility as a community center.

The old school, now called the Pleasant Grove Carver Center for Eternal Hope, will house Sunday school classes and other church functions, but it’s the community outreach that has Bell and trustee Chairman Charles Thorpe most excited.

“That’s part of the mission of this church to reach out to our community,” Bell said.

Among the first tenants in the new center will be the JobLink program, which is set to open its doors next week.

There will be an open house at the JobLink Center June 26 at 11 a.m.

Bell says the JobLink Center is a perfect example of how the church can be an integral part of the community it serves.

“We want to reach out to everybody,” Bell said. In addition to job services for adults provided by JobLink, Bell and Thorpe expect to offer a variety of resources for youths.

Thorpe said the idea to buy the school from the county makes sense for his church.

Ancestors of many of the church’s current members donated the land where the old school was built, next door to the church, he said.

“We have a lot of history with the school and the land that it sits on,” Thorpe said.

Bell and Thorpe admit that the biggest challenge in creating the new community center has been marshaling enough resources to make it a reality.

With only 150 members at Pleasant Grove, the church has had to dig deep into its own pockets, but they’ve also had to go outside the church to seek support.

“I’ve been amazed at the reception we’ve gotten when we go ask people for support,” Bell said. “Nobody that we have asked as said no.”

Bell believes faith and prayer have had a lot to do with the success of the project so far. He expects it will take more to see the project through to completion.

Phase I of the renovation project actually began with what is known as Building 2 on the Carver campus.

New carpet has been laid, painting continues and repairs and carpentry work go on.

Building 2, when it is completed, will include a large kitchen and a fellowship hall in what used to be the cafeteria.

That space, Bell said, will be convenient for community members to use for a variety of events, from wedding receptions and family reunions to civic events.